MEASUREMENT OF THICKNESS OF RETINAL NERVE-FIBER LAYER BY SCANNING LASER POLARIMETRY AND HIGH-PASS RESOLUTION PERIMETRY IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE OR NORMAL-TENSION GLAUCOMA

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between neural capacity, determin ed by high-pass resolution perimetry, and thickness of the retinal ner ve fiber layer, evaluated by scanning laser polarimetry, in patients w ith primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma. Methods: T hickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer was measured b y scanning laser polarimetry in 19 eyes of 19 patients with primary op en-angle glaucoma and in 23 eyes of 23 patients with normal-tension gl aucoma, There were no significant differences between the two groups i n mean age, sex ratio, or mean neural capacity. Results: Neural capaci ty was significantly correlated with thickness of the retinal nerve fi ber layer in all 42 eyes (r = 0.31, P = 0.0429), Neural capacity was s ignificantly correlated with thickness of the retinal nerve fiber laye r in the eyes of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (r = 0.60, P = 0.0061), but not in the eyes of patients with normal-tension glauc oma (r = 0.04; P = 0.8522). Conclusion: The degree of correlation betw een neural capacity determined by high-pass resolution perimetry and t hickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer measured by scanning laser p olarimetry appeared to differ in patients with primary open-angle glau coma vs those with normal-tension glaucoma.